Subscribe | UPI Odd Newsletter Subscribe HURSTPIERPOINT, England, Oct. 30 (UPI) -- British police responding to a report of armed kidnappers said the witness actually stumbled upon an "immersive horror experience." Sussex Police said armed officers and a police helicopter were dispatched Sunday when a member of the public reported seeing armed men forcing people into the backs of vans in Hurstpierpoint. Advertisement The officers arrived to find the people were participating in an event called Outbreak, billed as an "immersive horror experience." David Parker, a spokesman for organizers White Knuckle Events, said the police visit was a case of "crossed wires." "We believe a member of the public walking past the private land where the event was taking place saw one of the scenes where people with replica guns force participants into the back of a truck and called the police," he said. "Before we knew it, armed police and the helicopter had been dispatched," Parker said. "As soon as they realized the guns were plastic, it all ended very quickly." The Outbreak event involved participants being led around by actors with replica weapons and completing a "real life apocalypse movie" such as having to "crawl, climb and navigate areas of reduced lighting." Advertisement About 1,000 people participated in the event Friday, Saturday and Sunday, organizers said. Police said event organizers should have been more careful. "We would actively discourage people from carrying even imitation firearms in any public place," Police Superintendent Rex Matthews said. "The threat level from international terrorism in Britain is currently assessed as severe, and there have been a number of terrorist plots thwarted. At times like this, incidents such as the one on Sunday are clearly going to worry local residents and the public who were unaware of the intentions of the event organizers."
